The organisers of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 multi-sport event, scheduled from 19 September to 4 October next year, have planned an accommodation scheme for thousands of athletes that breaks established norms by replacing the traditional Olympic village with a luxury cruise ship.
Instead of costly large-scale constructions, the organising committee chose this innovative solution for its economic and logistical efficiency. The decision was approved in April at the first Technical Delegates’ Meeting with 350 attendees, including 67 technical delegates.
The cruise ship will be docked at Kinjo Pier, Port of Nagoya, hosting 4,600 people, including athletes and officials from 20 disciplines with venues near the port, such as archery, 3×3 basketball, canoe sprint, mountain biking, BMX racing, men’s football, gymnastics, handball, judo, kabaddi, kurash, mixed martial arts, rowing, rugby, sepaktakraw, sport climbing, squash, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, and wushu.
To complement this, temporary villas made from repurposed shipping containers will be installed at Garden Wharf, housing another 2,400 people from sports like water polo, 5×5 basketball, women’s football, jiu-jitsu, modern pentathlon, soft tennis, volleyball, and heads of delegation. Together, the cruise ship and villas form the Athletes’ Plaza, connected by a shuttle bus covering 6.5 kilometers in about 15 minutes.
Additionally, around 1,200 athletes and officials from badminton, cricket, football, and softball will stay in hotels across Nagoya. In total, about 8,200 people will be accommodated in the city during the Games, more than half of the approximately 15,000 participants from 45 National Olympic Committees.
Outside Nagoya, eight additional zones will house competitors at other venues: four hubs within Aichi Prefecture (Owari, Chita, Western Mikawa, Eastern Mikawa) hosting various sports, and four more outside (Tokyo, Shizuoka, Gifu, Osaka).
Despite the unconventional plan, organisers are confident the athletes’ experience won’t be affected. Deputy Secretary General Kazuhiro Yagi explained the cruise ship and container houses are about 10 minutes apart by shuttle, and athletes will still interact. Nearby entertainment facilities like an aquarium will allow relaxation and socialising.
Yagi stressed the decision is participant-focused, aiming to satisfy athletes. He also acknowledged the Games need greater awareness among the Japanese public, noting many young people don’t know about the event since it was last held there 32 years ago.
The 2023 Hangzhou Games were the largest in Asian Games history, with about 12,000 athletes, surpassing even the Olympics. For 2026, Japan aims to innovate the sports programme by including mixed martial arts to attract new audiences and highlight martial traditions, appealing especially to young people.
eSports, popular in Hangzhou with 4,500 spectators and stars like Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, will also feature prominently. It will be Japan’s first large-scale video game competition, with organisers believing it will engage not only youth but also elderly people, as detailed finger movements can help combat dementia.
With this practical, inclusive, and technologically ambitious approach, the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games aim not only for organisational success but to open a new chapter in how major international sporting events are conceived.
